Her mission statement fits on a serviette. For 31 years Heidi, the beloved co-owner of Mykonos Restaurant in London Canada, has had one mission. “To create a sense of well being and receive people with warmth and joy and give them a holiday feeling away from their stresses. ” What business are you in? www.mykonosrestaurant.ca […]

The best in the world make the complex simple. They take us on intellectual walks of wonder and leave footprints of awe. Max Dixon is a master speaker who has traveled the world serving  top corporations. I had the joy of being ‘Maxed‘ in Toronto. He asked volunteers to give a tiny bit of their […]

When Dr. Adam Mattson and practice manager Stephen Mattson decided to open a second dental practice they wanted their brand to stand out. You can probably relate. Their new practice is in an up and coming neighbourhood with many newcomers who are cost sensitive yet ambitious. They wanted their patients to feel they were always […]

A pair of boots walked into Starbucks and I asked their dusty owner if I could take a photo. “They are more like sandals” the young workman said chuckling. “Yes, but they prove you do the work.” Do you? Do you have two strategies that you use each month to put yourself in front of […]

Once upon a time, I was a champion. All the clichés applied. I only trained twice, when I wanted to and when I didn’t. I learned a lesson for those of you who are building businesses. Celebrate those who help you succeed. While figure skating looked like an individual sport, it was a team effort. […]

Toronto Pride equals hot: hot people, temperature and branding. Trojan, the #1 condom company, had male models wearing tight shorts, yellow construction helmets topped with a Roman flourish of red feathers and not much else. They used every tactic in the ‘brand in hand’ street marketing manual: cool booth, gorgeous models, free products and great […]

After ten minutes in the wood paneled reception area of one the top four consulting firms, I knew they weren’t my people. I saw one harried administrative assistant who could use a heart test. I watched an equally unhealthy looking man respond to the introduction of the receptionist in training with “Hi, I’m a pain […]

The difference between an expert and a novice is one decides, the other diagnoses. Case in point. My knee was bugging me.  Not unusual for skaters so I went to see a physio while in Oz. She was young, delightful and wrong. She examined the knee, only, and told me I needed x-rays to see […]

Coca Cola is a super brand that can teach you the most important lesson about branding. Take the “Higher place for your brand” says Coca Cola VP David Elsworth.

The late Peter Drucker was a management thought leader who said, “Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only two–basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.” So why am I standing with a bunch of marketing professionals from the […]

It’s almost Hallowe’en and the scariest people are your worst clients, not the ghost of Amy Winehouse. Your anti-clients can save you money, if you know who they are.  The exercise I’m sharing with you saved one of my clients 100s of thousands of dollars. Best Buy was the inspiration. They analyzed their ideal customers […]

She wore red shoes.  One of the funniest speakers you’ve probably never heard of said “The way I see it, if  you have to spend your days in a wheelchair you can either whine about it or you can seize the opportunity to wear  smokin’ red heels with zero discomfort.” Sue Minns had her goodbye […]

Drum roll please: the winner of the Australian Marketing Institute’s 2011 Award for Marketing Excellence, new product, for the state of Victoria is (I know this is a mouthful but keep reading) Plunkett Fowles’ Ladies who Shoot their Lunch.  Yes, the same folks who won the 2010 Great Australian Wine Shiraz Challenge and the only […]

Your brand is competing for attention against Coca Cola’s 2.9 billion dollar annual marketing budget. I know you don’t think you are competing against them but you are. You are trying to cut through the cacophony of every marketer’s pitch  “Heh, look at me, love me, take me home with you.” Then there is you. […]

The truth is I watch people, particularly successful folks who won’t make the news but should. I found this athlete/scientist sitting on a rock writing “morning pages.” I asked if I could share her strategy. Yes, as long as I promised anonymity. Super heroes are funny that way. This wise writer takes 15 minutes each […]

I took these photos of an Investors Group skyscraper sign. Sometimes it said Investor…oup,  which sounds like oops, not something you want to hear from a financial firm post GFC (Global Financial Crisis).  Sometimes it said ‘Investor soup’ which is funny, sort of.  Buy from us and you get a cauldron of simmering financial advisors. […]